Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal Sunday inducted five Cabinet rank and four Ministers of State, all from his Maoist party, as the Nepali Congress, the larger coalition partner, failed to decide its list owing to the internal differences.

As a result, the government remains without a Minister of Foreign Affairs, although Prime Minister Dahal has emphasised that establishing balanced relations with two neighbours — India and China — remains his government’s top priority.

Two Deputy Prime Ministers — Bimalendra Nidhi and K B Mahara — will be heading to Delhi and Beijing as “special emissaries” for the purpose. Government sources said Mahara will leave for Beijing on Monday.

Indian Ambassador Ranjit Rae said the date for Nidhi’s visit is being worked out and that visit may finalise the date as well as the sequence of visits of Prime Minister Dahal and President Bidhya Devi Bhandari to Delhi and that of Indian President Pranab Mukherjee to Nepal in the near future.